Flock adhesive printing apparatus



. Jan. 25, 1944. E c, TARNUZZER 2,339,891

FLocK ADHESIVE PRINTING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 26, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 iQ o 1 l l l I Q" g i l T N .lip be g l i Q m QW Q I Xq,

JVENTOR.

Jan. 25, 1944. E C, TARNUZZER 2,339,891

FLOCK ADHESIVE PRINTING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 26', 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2ArroRA/ys Patented Jan. 25, 1944 FLOCK ADHESIVE PRINTING APPARATUSEdmund C. Tarnuzzer, North Adams, Mass., assignor, by mesne assignments,to Beacon Industrial Corporation, Fall River, Mass., a corporation ofMassachusetts Application February 26, 1941, Serial No. 380,607

(Cl. S31- 49) 3 Claims.

This invention relates in general to flock printing, and moreparticularly to the apparatus by which the adhesive is applied to thefabric prior to -the application of the flock.

Flock adhesives have commonly been applied by stencils. So far as I amaware, it has not heretofore been practical to apply the adhesive bymeans of intaglio or engraved rolls. 'A fundamental object of thepresent invention is to provide apparatus by which this may done.

The nature of the adhesive required for flock printing, and thenecessity of carrying the fabric with the freshly applied adhesivethrough the flocking unit, without intervening drying or setting of theadhesive, have prevented the successful application of ordinary fabricprinting operations to the production of flock prints. Largely for thisreason, stencil printing has been the usual procedure. The adhesivenature of the material that has to be applied, and its physicalconsistency, have precluded the use of the back grey between the fabricand the impression cylinder or bowl. Consequently, any appearance of theadhesive on the underside of the fabric presents a problem, because ofits contamination of the working surface of the impression cylinder, andyet it is not altogether desirable to entirely avoid penetration of theadhesive into the fabric. High pressure contact between the intaglioprinting roll and the fabric. and the use of lapping between the backgrey and the hard surface of the impression cylinder, cannot beadvantageously employed in applying adhesives for flocking.

According to my invention, the fabric is run over the bare,non-absorbent surface of an impression cylinder, such working surfacepreferably being formed of moderately cured or vulcanized rubber of goodtraction, the adhesive liquid is applied to the fabric running over theimpression cylinder by means of a print roll carrying an intagliodesign. this print roll having very light contact with the fabric, andthe bare working surface of the impression cylinder is continuouslycleaned between the point Where the fabric leaves it and where theworking surface resumes or reenters contact with the fabric, theconsequence being that excessive quantities of adhesive are not forcedthrough the cloth onto the working surface of the impression cylinder,and such quantities of adhesive as do reach this surface arecontinuously removed before the working surface has to make renewedcontact with the fabric. For the purpose of supplying the engraved printroll with adhesive,

and at the same time conflning its application to the cloth in thedesign engraved in the print roll, I provide a doctor blade operating incontact with the engraved print roll in such a position as to form, witha portion of the print roll surface, a trough into which the liquidadhesive drips from a suitable supply source, this trough being blockedoff at each end by means of packing dams through which the adhesive isunable to pass.

The formula of the liquid adhesive must meet rather exactingrequirements, and I shall hereinafter give an example of a formula thathas been found satisfactory in practice. Other compositions, with whichthose skilled in the art of flock printing are acquainted, may of coursebe used if preferred.

An embodiment of the invention is diagrammatically illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a diagram in elevation,with parts in section, illustrating the adhesive-applying apparatus inits relation to the supply of fabric thereto, and the delivery of thefabric from the adhesive-applying apparatus into the flock-applying boxfrom which the flocked fabric passes to the conventional drying unit.

Figure 2 is a diagram in sectional elevation, on a somewhat largerscale, illustrating in more detail the essential elements of theadhesive-applying apparatus according to my invention.

Figure 3 is a transverse section of the engraved print roll with itsassociated doctor blade and one of the packing dams mounted thereon, thesection being taken through the middle of the packing dam, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the packing dam unit, with the packingremoved.

Referring first to Figure l, the fabric is led olf a roll I0 mounted inframe II, and is carried over the conventional spreaders I2 and underthe guide roll I3 into contact with the impression cylinder I4, overwhich the fabric runs while the adhesive is being printed thereon. Fromthe impression cylinder I4, the fabric is carried over a guide roll I5from which it .enters the flock-applying box I6, of any conventional ordesired type. The fabric is pulled through the flock-applying box I6 bythe driving roll I'I and passed therefrom to the drying equipment of anyapproved type. Referring again to the impression cylinder I4, and atthis point more particularly to the detailed illustration in Figure 2,this impression cylinder I4 is journalled in bearing blocks I8 mountedin the side frames I9. Its working surface is constituted by a rubbersleeve 20, which is preferably of a semi-hard cure so as to providesatisfactory traction with the fabric while at the same time not beingtoo soft and yielding. This cylinder is driven, as for example by chaindrive 2l running over sprockets 22, 23, the latter of which constitutesthe driving sprocket and is operated in proper speed ratio to a seconddriving sprocket 24 by means of the speed ratio control unit 25, whichis adjusted by the hand wheel 26. The purpose of the speed ratio controlunit is to maintain accurate equality of the surface speed of the fabricon the impression cylinder I4 with the surface speed of the print roll21 which is driven by chain 28 running over the driving sprocket 24 ofthe speed ratio control unit and the driven sprocket 29 of the printroll 21. Print roll 21 is adjusted to make very light contact with thefabric on the impression cylinder I4. It is supplied with adhesive froman overhead receptacle 30, from which the adhesive drips under thecontrol of regulating valve 3| through the spout 32 into a trough formedby a doctor blade 33 with a portion of the periphery of the print roll21. At either end of this trough is adjustably mounted a packing darn34, which is illustrated in more detail in Figures 3 and 4. It comprisesessentially a housing 35 secured on the upper arm of a resilient meta1strap 36 which extends rearward and then down and forward to terminatebeneath the housing 35, where it is provided with a set screw 31 so thata packing dam unit may be adjustably positioned near each end of thedoctor blade 33, by turning up the set screw 31 to engage the doctorblade between it and the bottom of the housing 35. The rear of thehousing 35 is provided with a follower plate 38, which is adjusted bymeansof the set screw 39 to force the packing material 40 into suitablecontact with the face of the print roll 21 and thus confine the liquidadhesive dripping into the trough between the two dams thus constituted.

The print roll 21 is driven counterclockwise and the impression cylinderI4 clockwise (Figure 2). Beneath the impression cylinder I4 is mounted apan 4I to maintain a bath 42 of solvent or other cleaning liquid, forexample varnaline, for the adhesive which may be carried from the fabricby the surface of the impression cylinder I4. This bath is maintained atsuch a level as to slightly immerse the lower portion of the workingsurface 20 of impression cylinder I4, and in this bath are mounted twowiper rolls 43, driven in clockwise direction and wiping the workingsurface 20 by means of the absorbent treads 44 formed, for example, byterry cloth or other suitable material. In this way, the cleaning liquidis swabbed over the face of the working surface 20 by a rubbing action,to supplement the cleaning effect of the direct contact of the workingsurface 20 in the bath of cleaning liquid 42. The surface of theimpression cylinder is thus continually cleaned of residual adhesivebetween the point where the working surface leaves contact with thefabric and the point where it reenters such contact. To avoid carrying alm of cleaning liquid up to the fabric, the working surface 20 isengaged by a doctor blade 45, which strips any foreign matter from theworking surface and assures a clean, fresh surface to make contact withthe under face of the fabric.

With regard to the composition of the liquid adhesive, an emulsion typeis preferred, containing a vehicle, a solvent and a pigment. The

pigment content generally determines the shortness, its flexibility,fastness to washing, whiteness, and in general its printability. It isdesirable to use as little pigment as possible in order to retainflexibility and tackiness for flocking, while on the other hand usingenough pigment to gain the desired whiteness and absence of stringiness.acquainted with these and other requirements. A composition which I havefound satisfactory for use in accordance with this invention contains,roughly, about 5% water, and is made up substantially as follows:

Heavy commercial flock varnish quarts 9% Lacquer emulsion -do-- 21/2Mephisto Red Lake pounds-- 2 6% Cobalt drier cubic centimeters-- 50 Thiscomposition is ground twice 1n a threeroller mill, The flock varnish issupplied under this name by varnish makers, and generally contains tungoil as the basic ingredient and is cooked to an extremely heavy body.The lacquer emulsion contains about 16.3% water, 46.2% solids, and 37.5%nitrocellulose solvents. The solids comprise nitrocellulose,plasticizers and resins, for example, dammar, copal, sandarac, etc.

The adhesive compounded as above recited will dry satisfactorily at atemperature of 110 to 120 F, in a period of twenty-four hours. Theflocked fabric is, therefore, hung at this temperature for the requiredperiod, after which it is brushed and nally folded.

I claim:

l. Flock adhesive printing apparatus, comprising in combination animpression cylinder having a substantially non-absorbent work surface tocontact with and support the fabric running over the upper portionthereof, an engraved print roll associated with said impression cylin-`-rirtc "pfi1.` adhesive upon the fabric passing between them, means forsupplying adhesive to said engraved print roll, a doctor bladeassociated with said engraved print roll to remove eX- cess adhesivetherefrom, a receptacle for cleaning liquid under said impressioncylinder, a wiper roll running in said cleaning liquid and contactingthe lower` surface of said impression cylinder, and a doctor blade incontact with said impression cylinder between said wiper roll and wherethe work surface reenters contact with the fabric.

2. Flock adhesive printing apparatus for processing a continuous sheetof fabric permeable to adhesive, comprising in combination an impressioncylinder having a substantially non-absorbent work surface to contactwith and support the fabric being printed, a print roll associated withsaid impression cylinder to apply adhesive to the fabric passing betweenthem, cleaning means containing a receptacle for cleaning liquiddisposed underneath said cylinder so as to have the lower part of saidcylinder immersed in the liquid, and wiper means contacting saidcylinder and arranged to be wetted by the liquid for removing from saidcylinder the adhesive normally permeating through said fabric onto thesurface of said cylinder,

3. Flock adhesive printing apparatus for processing a continuous sheetof fabric permeable to adhesive, comprising in combination an impressioncylinder having a substantially non-absorbent work surface to contactwith and support the fabric being printed, a print roll associated withThose skilled in the art are well Ubi." bil HUUR H said impressioncylinder to apply adhesive to the fabric passing between them, areceptacle for cleaning liquid disposed underneath said cylinder so asto have said cylinder partly submerged in the cleaning liquid, a wipingdevice contacting the surface of said cylinder and arranged to be wettedby the liquid, said wiping device being disposed in front of saidreceptacle relative yto the rotation of said cylinder to remove fromsaid cylinder adhesive normally permeating through said fabric onto thecylinder surface, and another wiping device engaging said cylinder anddisposed behind said receptacle and 'in front of said printing rollrelative to the rotation of said cylinder for removing excess liquidfrom said cylinder.

EDMUND C. TARNUZZER.

